These easy keto peanut butter bars are the ultimate low carb treat! They are completely sugar free and grain free, and my kids swear they taste like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Trigger warning! If peanut butter is your kryptonite, you may just want to look away for a while. Because these keto peanut butter bars are bound to make you weak in the knees. They are no bake bars, and so easy to make, even your kids could do it on their own.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that peanut butter is my jam. I have so many delicious keto peanut butter recipes, and about a zillion ideas in my brain for more. I’m never ever going to stop making delicious sugar free treats with peanut butter. Never ever. Don’t even TRY to convince me otherwise.
Some of my most popular keto peanut butter desserts include: Keto Peanut Butter Brownies, Keto Peanut Butter Dirt Cake, and the brand new but insanely popular Keto Peanut Butter Pie.
My recipe for these no bake peanut butter bars has been around forever, almost from the moment I started blogging. It used to be part of a very old collaborative low carb cookbook, but I decided to share it on the blog back in January of 2016. And today, I decided to update it with a new new video.
So now I can show you just how insanely easy these are to make.
Is peanut butter keto?
This is a question I get from readers frequently. And it stems from a misunderstanding about what the keto diet really is.
The most basic definition is as follows: a keto diet is any diet that keeps you in ketosis. The food itself is not “keto” because anything in tiny quantities will not kick most people out of ketosis. This means that even a small bite of banana or potato could be part of a keto diet, if you really wanted to work it into your macros.
This is not something I really recommend, since tiny amounts of old high carb favorites are not very satisfying. They may also trigger cravings and you could easily find yourself overeating.
So why do some people say peanut butter is not keto? Because there are many specific keto “programs” and keto “coaches” that have approved and not approved food lists. And because peanuts are technically legumes similar to beans, some programs have put them on the naughty list.
There is nothing about the lowly peanut that makes it keto or not keto. It’s actually quite a low carb food choice. So if you are like me, and simply do keto your own way (which is whatever way that keeps you in ketosis), then peanuts and peanut butter can be part of your healthy diet.
I don’t recommend eating it by the spoonful or even eating it every day. But the occasional keto peanut butter treat is usually not a problem for most keto dieters.
How to make easy keto peanut butter bars
Did I mention how easy these no bake bars are to make? Yes? Well let me say it again: they are ridiculously easy. They take only 6 basic ingredients, and come to together in about 15 minutes.
My recipe for keto peanut butter bars takes peanut flour, and I get a number of questions about what that is and whether you can use other keto flours instead. Here’s what I can tell you:
- Peanut flour is a good choice for a number of reasons. Peanut flour is basically peanuts that have been roasted and ground to a fine powder, so it helps intensify the peanut butter flavor of the bars.
- The powdery consistency is what gives these bars their unique texture. The dough becomes like cookie dough and is soft enough to be pressed into a pan but firm enough that the bars are solid at room temperature.
- Peanut butter powder and PBFit are essentially the same thing and work just as well. Just make sure that whatever you choose, it does not contain any added sugars. The original PBFit has sugar, but there is also a sugar-free version made with monk fruit. This will make your bars sweeter so you may want to cut back on the powdered sweetener.
- You can use almond flour but it has a higher fat content than peanut flour, so you will need more of it to achieve the same dough-like texture. I actually recommend a combination of almond and coconut flour to get the right consistency: about 2 cups almond flour and ¼ cup coconut flour.
- You will know you have the right consistency, no matter what flour you use, when the dough holds together and really feels like cookie dough. Actually, the consistency is more like play dough. A big edible ball of low carb play dough!
How to store Keto Peanut Butter Bars
The great news is that because these bars have nothing in them that spoils easily, they can be made well in advance.
I recommend storing them in the fridge in a covered container, so that they don’t get overly soft. They do stay firm at room temperature for a few hours, if you don’t live in a hot climate. The chocolate topping could get mighty soft and melty in the summer!
They can last up to 3 weeks, if properly stored and refrigerated. To freeze, I would wrap up the bars tightly in plastic wrap, to avoid freezer burn. They can be frozen for several months.
Ready to make these delicious and easy No Bake Peanut Butter Bars?
More keto recipes that use peanut flour
- Keto Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Keto Peanut Butter Cookies for Two
- Keto Peanut Butter Eggs
- Peanut Flour Cake
- Keto Peanut Butter Scones
Keto Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Bars:
- ¾ cup butter melted
- ¾ cup peanut butter melted
- ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener (more if you like it sweeter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups peanut flour the roasted, defatted variety
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Glaze:
- 3 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Peanut Butter Bars:
- Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter, melted peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Stir in peanut flour until dough comes together (it will be like a dough, not like a batter).
- Press dough firmly and evenly into prepared baking pan. To really get it even, cover it with more wax paper or parchment paper and use a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup to press).
Chocolate Glaze:
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, and add the chopped chocolate and butter. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Pour over bars and use a knife or offset spatula to spread to the edges. Refrigerate 1 hour until set.
Rosiane says
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter? Thank you
Carolyn says
YES! It’s amazing in these bars.
Melissa says
Hi! I usually use Lakanto powdered monk fruit sweetener, which calls for 1/2 the amount as regular powdered sugar. I think swerve is a 1:1 measurement, but I can’t seem to find how the powdered swerve measures. Do you think I should use 1/2 the amount listed when using the Lakanto? Thanks for your help!
Carolyn says
Swerve measures like sugar.
Cheri says
Didn’t have peanut flour, grandkids here so no time to search stores for some. Read comments on alternatives tried, winged it and ended up using 1 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup coconut flour and 3/4 cup whey protein powder. It turned out pretty darn well, the bars are quickly disappearing. I make my own semi-sweet chocolate chips so melted those with a little extra stevia for the topping. Overall success!
Carolyn says
Glad it worked!
Linda says
Question: When you take these out of the fridge/freezer, what is the consistency? Is it soft? I made these with almond butter (because I didn’t have any natural smooth peanut butter). I had to use A LOT of peanut butter flour and when they set up in the fridge, they are very hard and crumbly. I know I didn’t use the ingredients as listed in the recipe and that could have affected the finished product. I’m just curious for the next time I make them according to the directions. Thanks!!
CJoy says
Made these THREE TIMES and son Loves them. Soooo easy to make and BONUS there’s no baking, just quick stove top melting. I used the Lily’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chips and a small chunk of cocoa butter with the organic coconut (hard below 76 degrees) oil… Peanut Flour works GREAT. I pop in freezer for 50 minutes then remove them from pan with parchment paper to cut into 16 bars, return to keep in freezer. Cut some smaller, 4 pieces per bar & use as FAT BOMB, too, letting slowly melt in mouth. Lovely richness.
GREAT summer cool treat, eat slowly to savor!
THANK YOU!
Cohocook says
Insanely good! Non-ketoers gobble these up too! I just converted to non-keto this morning. We’ll…they’ll enjoy I’m sure. Thanks for another great recipe.
Patti says
If I pat the dough into a smaller pan di yo think I could use a cookie cutter to make shapes and then reform the dough before covering in chocolate? My daughter loves Resses eggs.
Thanks
Sherry says
These were too bitter for me and I’ve been off sugar for a year. I see through the comments that I used the wrong kind of chocolate (bakers) though I did add sweetener, it was not enough (especially with the peanut butter mixture not being any sweeter. ) I hate that these are so expensive to make as I almost completely used up a jar of Tru Nut. Please edit the recipe to clarify what kind of chocolate.
Carolyn says
Hi Sherry. I am sorry you made that mistake but it’s pretty clear in the recipe AND it’s linked to give you an example of what I mean. Sugar free chocolate is chocolate that is sweetened with something OTHER than sugar. If I’d meant unsweetened chocolate, I would have specified that.
sue says
which size pan do you prefer…..8 x8. or 9 x9???? I know from other recipes of yours that you are particular about thick/thin/proportions. thank you
Carolyn says
Well for a long time I only had a 9×9 so that’s what these were made in. But since these are no-bake and it’s not an issue of baking it through, you can use 8×8 without issues.
Rachel Reed-Dalhover says
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!! They have become a staple in my freezer. I used an 8″x11″ pan because I wanted the peanut butter to be thinner and then doubled the chocolate glaze. I cut into 48 squares and they are perfect for when I need a bite of something sweet. You are seriously my hero 😍 and make sticking to my low carb diet easier than I ever would have thought! I love ALL of your recipes!
Carolyn says
So glad you like them!
Estelle says
For a long time I’ve been envying everyone who commented how good these are since we dont have peanut flour (yet) in SA. I had so much of that chalky dry ‘meal’ left from making almond milk that nobody knows what to do with and eventually tried your recipe using it. It works perfectly and tastes awesome, thanks for this recipe, best ever!
Carolyn says
So good to know!
Michelle says
So good!! These are keeping me from buying all the clearance Halloween candy right now, hah.
Carolyn says
Hooray!!!
Cailyn says
I love no bake recipes, mostly because i can’t bake! Haha
DuAnne Mednick says
Absolutely fabulous & Very easy. I love them.
Thank you.
I just discovered you. What great recipes. Can’t wait to try more.
Jessica says
I love these! Thanks so much!
Tara Kuczykowski says
So good and not too sweet — perfect!
Rachael Yerkes says
Peanut Butter Desserts are always my favorite! These are so good!
Julie says
Low carb and packed full of protein, it doesn’t get better than that!
Leah says
I’ve had a large container of peanut flour sitting in my pantry for a couple months now. I bought it for another recipe (which we weren’t crazy about) and never found anything else to use it for. I’m so happy I found this recipe and another reason to use that flour!
Carolyn says
Yay!
Betsy Ferlaino says
These are my all-time favorite!